and inclineing to sleep, as I was watching at the window, one of
the neighbours I saw come running in, who told the maid soldiers
were comeing to search, who thereupon presentlie came running to
the staires head, and cried, 'Soldiers, soldiers are coming,'
which his majestie hearing presentlie started out of his bedd and
run to _his privacie, where I secured him the best I could_,
and then leaving him, went forth into the street to meet the
soldiers who were comeing to search, who as soon as they saw
and knew who I was were readie to pull mee to pieces, and take
me away with them, saying I was come from the Worcester fight;
but after much dispute with them, and by the neighbours being
informed of their false information that I was not there, being
very ill a great while, they let mee goe; but till I saw them
clearly all gone forth of the town I returned not; but as soon
as they were, I returned to release him and did acquaint him
with my stay, which hee thought long, and then hee began to bee
very chearful again.

In the interim, whilst I was disputing with the soldiers, one
of them called Southall came in the ffould and asked a smith,
as hee was shooing horses there, if he could tell where the King
was, and he should have "a thousand pounds for his payns...."
This Southall was a great priest-catcher.

[Illustration: "PRIEST'S HOLE," MOSELEY HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE]

The hiding-place is located beneath the floor of a cupboard,
adjoining the quaint old panelled bedroom the King occupied while
he was at Moseley. Even "the merry monarch" must have felt depressed
in such a dismal hole as this, and we can picture his anxious